The Science Fair Date
by Grandpas Girl Kim326
Summary: Victor has been inspired by Sparky's relationship with Persephone to finally ask Elsa out on a date, while disguising it as asking her to be his partner for the science fair which had been postponed. but, Victor winds up getting some competition in his goals from the last person he would've expected.


The Science Fair Date

Because of everything that happened at the Dutch Day Carnival with all the monsters, Mr. Rzykruski, the science teacher who was originally fired, was immediately rehired by the town of New Holland. The townspeople practically begged Mr. Rzykruski to come back into town, even the people who originally believed him to be either crazy or a menace. He was invited back for fear of an incident like what everyone called "The Terror that Struck Dutch Day" could happen again.

Victor Frankenstein and the rest of the students were happy to have the genuine article of science back and teaching the class once again. The science fair was still going to be on track; it was just being postponed due to the occurrences of Dutch Day. Mr. Rzykruski decided to give the science fair 3 weeks in its postponing. Life in New Holland was starting to get back to normal for every family in town… well, almost every family. The Frankenstein Family still had their recently reanimated dog, Sparky. Sparky also had a girlfriend now in Persephone, the poodle dog with a "Bride of Frankenstein" hairstyle.

Inspired by Sparky, Victor decided to follow his own romantic desires and start to finally talk even a little bit to Persephone's owner, Elsa Van Helsing; the most beautiful goth girl at his school, with a voice just like the chorus of a billion angels. "I already saved Elsa from falling to her death when the windmill was on fire. So, talking to her should be a cake walk compared to that, right?" Victor asked himself in a mirror. Sparky thought it could work out, and that implication was evident in his barking. Edward Frankenstein tried to encourage his son to pursue his own friendship-related goals. "It's the craziest idea you've ever come up with, Victor," Edward said. "I'm sorry I pushed you so hard to try to make friends, son. I was just concerned about your social skills." Victor knew his father meant well in the endeavor of pushing him to try out for the baseball team. "In my defense on that issue, there aren't a lot of kids at my school who I would actually find 'ideal' in even an acquaintance, dad," Victor spoke in honesty. "But, I promise, son," Edward began. "I'm never again going to try to force the idea of friendship on you."

"That's all I wanted to hear, dad," Victor said. "I know that resurrecting Sparky from the dead counted as playing God, but you saw what a mess of human being I was until I even tried to bring him back. It was too much to take." Susan Frankenstein came into the room. "I told your father; he should've let you at least start small," she said to Victor. "And, if I recall correctly, dear, your own father pushed you to the same thing," Susan reminded her husband. "Yes, dear," Edward confirmed in reluctance. "But, he actually didn't give me the choice." Victor remembered very clearly how much of dictator Grandpa Frankenstein was to his own son. "Maybe, I should've let Victor make friends on his own," Edward said, regretting that he did to Victor what Grandpa Frankenstein did to him. "You remember what Mary always said before she left the family for university," Victor responded, using his older sister as an example. "If it's meant to be, it will be," Edward responded back, remembering his daughter's words very well.

"The fact that you want me to make human friends, dad, is why I've decided to finally go for talking to Elsa Van Helsing," Victor told both of his parents. "I didn't expect for your only ideal friend in town to be a girl," Susan began. "much less the 1 who is currently living next door," she finished. "Well, Sparky inspired me to go for her after the adults used their cars to bring him back for me," Victor said, rubbing the back of his head in nervous embarrassment. 1 look at Victor's behavior then and there told Edward and Susan everything about the situation. "Well, well, well," Edward teased his son a bit. "I didn't realize that you wanted to make friends with Elsa Van Helsing for the sake of being more than friends." Victor's heartrate increased a million-fold and he blushed at what his father said to him. "DAAAADD!" Victor said, even more embarrassed. "I'm not asking a girl on a date. It's just talking," Victor defended himself. "I know, son," Edward said. "I was just kidding." Victor was already stressed out about talking to Elsa without his father's innocent teasing. "Dad, I don't need you to tease me about girls," Victor told his father. "I'm under enough pressure as it is. I just_ I want my attempt at making friends with Elsa to go perfectly."

"Which is why I don't get your lack of confidence in talking to her, son," Edward told Victor. "Didn't you already take big leap forward with Elsa at the town's ex-windmill?" father asked his son. "Yeah, I guess I did," Victor said, but didn't look at his dad. "I mean I had to do something." Victor continued to lack confidence, though. "So, then, shouldn't just talking to Elsa be easy compared to that?" Susan asked. "I did say to Sparky and my own reflection that it should a cake walk," Victor said about it being easy. "But now, I'm scared to jinxed myself with that notion. What everything goes wrong?" Edward, Susan, and Sparky consoled Victor about his insecurities with Elsa. "Oh, Victor, you'll do fine," Susan told her son. "I don't want it to go just fine. I want it to go perfectly," Victor told his parents, still scared of the possibility he jinxed his own chances to even talk to the kind and gentle, yet somber and gothic love of his life. "Like you said, son, it'll be a piece of cake," Edward tried to encourage his son. "What could go wrong?"

But, when Victor finally got to New Holland Elementary School to try to talk to Elsa, his chances went from bad to worse. Mr. Burgermeister added judges to the science fair jury. He started by adding the gym teacher for 2 reasons. The first reason being that she was set up to take Mr. Rzykruski's place as the judge, anyway, she was simply going to act as an additional judge. The second reason being easier to explain than the first, that her gym was the set location for the science fair. Mr. Burgermeister also added himself to the science fair jury, to ensure that the students followed every rule of the school event. He also made Elsa into the duchess of the science fair, upping the competition for Victor chances with having his ideal girl as a science fair partner.

Elsa's parents, Lawrence and Gwendolyn Van Helsing, were now back in town in addition to the science fair being postponed. Mary Frankenstein, Victor's older sister, had also come back to New Holland because she missed her family. Elsa was happy to have her parents back, but it meant her and Persephone going with them back to their own house on the other side of town.

Later that day after school, Elsa promised Victor she and Persephone would come over to Victor's house where he and Elsa could work on the science fair, and Sparky could get some interaction with Persephone. "Dad, can you give Persephone and I a ride over to the Frankenstein Residence next to Uncle Bob's house?" Elsa asked Lawrence Van Helsing. "Aren't they the family with the undead dog?" Lawrence asked his daughter, clearly offended by it being fact at all. "Dad, Sparky Frankenstein is still the same dog that everyone always knew as Victor's best friend," Elsa told her father. "just with more electricity added to him. Besides, I gave Victor my word that Persephone would come with me, and I know how you and mom also feel about breaking your word to someone else."

This was very true; Lawrence and Gwendolyn Van Helsing disliked people who broke the promises they made to one another even less than he, himself, liked the idea of anyone they knew having a reanimated corpse even for a pet. If Lawrence rejected Elsa's request, he would be forcing his own daughter to become the kind of people he liked the least in the world, and he would be the cause of it. "Fine, Elsa, I'll trust your judgement and take you and your dog over to the Frankenstein Residence," Lawrence told his daughter, finally caving in to her request. "Thanks, dad," Elsa told her father, expressing her genuine gratitude with a short hug from daughter to father. "I still don't like that part of our town, though," Larry Van Helsing added. "Still, dear, how bad could it be?" Gwen told her husband, trying to help her daughter with her reasoning.

Meanwhile, just Elsa was busy at her own house trying to talk her father into trusting her judgement enough to allow her to even be at Victor's house much less go there, Victor was trying extra hard to get his own family to help him make an extra special effort to impress Lawrence Van Helsing when Elsa and Persephone arrived in her father's car. "Why is the sink still full of water, Mary?" Victor asked his older sister. "I think it's backed up because the garbage disposal might've broken recently," Mary responded. "Then, just go outside and help dad paint the house, instead. Make yourself useful, sis," Victor told Mary.

Mary Frankenstein started mumbling to herself in response to her own younger brother's demand after demand. "Great!" she grumbled. "I'm gone for 6 months, and I come back to find that Victor did more than just Sparky from the dead against the laws of science and our own country." Mary noticed Sparky as he came up to her at the mention of his own reanimation. He was trying to ease the burden of the tyrant Victor was being towards everyone in the household. Mary knew Sparky was telling her that her younger brother had his reasons. She even knew what his reasons for raising the family pet from the dead were, which she caught on to quicker than their parents.

She then listed the second change in Victor since she'd been away at her university on the other side of the country. "He's also apparently discovered dates and girls in my absence, which I'm not opposed to," Mary said to Sparky. "But, does Victor really have to turn into such a slave driver just to try and impress his crush's father?" Mary asked Sparky, even knowing he couldn't answer her because reanimated corpse or not, he was still just a dog and, as such, couldn't actually talk. "Come on, Mary, go easy on Victor," Edward told his daughter for his family dog, trying to reason with her on his son's behalf. "As a college student, you should understand better than Victor what it's like to be in love."

Victor realized how he was behaving from their conversation. "I'm sorry I'm being a tyrant about this. I just… I just want the first time of Elsa's dad coming over to be perfect," Victor told his family. "Victor," Mary called her younger brother by name as she tried to console him. "I know you want everything to go perfectly for Elsa's father, but did it ever dawn on you that maybe you should just try being yourself?" Mary asked her brother, causing him to question his strategy to impress the father of the love of his life. "It's not being myself in front of him I'm worried about," Victor told his older sister in response to her advice. "I'm worried about what Elsa's dad will think of Sparky when he sees him for the first time since he, you know what," Victor explained himself further, but not wanting to even remember what happened his beloved dog.

Mary understood what Victor meant. Sparky having been hit by a car in her absence was an awful tragedy. "What losing Sparky for the first time did to you, I wouldn't wish even on my worst enemy, never mind my own younger brother," Mary told him, knowing full well that Sparky had always been Victor's best friend ever, and that nothing could take the place their relationship as pet and master. "And, I'm happy that you finally made another friend. Don't get me wrong, son," Edward Frankenstein told Victor. "And, we all know you wanna make a good impression on Mr. Van Helsing, but you were being kind of a task master to the rest of us about your efforts to impress Elsa's family," Mary told her younger brother.

"You're right, Mary. I'm sorry," Victor apologized to his family for his behavior. "I just… I know you took Sparky's new appearance in stride, but I'm just worried about how Elsa's parents will to her science fair partner having a pet he raised from the dead," Victor expressed his worries once more. "How shocked could they be by Sparky's new look?" Mary said, trying to offer Victor some calming comfort. "It's the height of fashion in eastern Europe," Mary joked, now trying to lighten Victor's mood. The whole family laughed along with Mary's joke. "Thanks, sis," Victor said hugging Mary. "Anytime you need someone to be there for you, you can come to me, mom and dad, and now, Elsa, too," Mary told Victor in reassurance.

If Mary wasn't already a law student and studying criminal justice, she'd make a damn good emotional psychiatrist or an even better therapist. But, Mary Frankenstein had devoted all of her studies to law school after she was done with high school, strangely enough by the age of 14. She was incredibly intelligent. She was smart enough to skip past middle school at the age of 9, anyway. But, Mary Frankenstein's profound intellect and skipping grade levels always came at the expense of dealing with her older peers bullying her due to their horrid jealousy of her 206 IQ. She decided she was going to pace herself at her university, something that shocked Susan Frankenstein when she and the rest of the family heard about her grades in college being less than they were in the past.

If Mary Frankenstein was smart enough to skip entire grade levels in standard school she was smart to pass college exams with flying colors. What none of them knew was that Mary wasn't back in town because it was she was on a break from school, which her university wasn't even on any of its breaks at all. Mary Frankenstein was back in New Holland because she ran away from university. She ran away because her getting picked on for her intellect didn't stop in high school; it continued into her days at law school. Mary made sure to hide this truth from her family.

Coming out of her own head, Mary decided to give Victor one last bit of advice. "You know, you really should just be yourself, Victor," she told him. "And you should expect the same of Sparky," she said, trying to tell Victor that he should just accept Sparky the way he is, bolts and all. "I know that what you've been telling me is true, and I know that you're also right about Sparky, but I still wanna make the best impression possible for Elsa's parents," Victor told his older sister, confirming that he gonna ignore her advice. "I will, however, stop being a slave driver about what I need everyone to do around the house. Please, help dad paint the house Elsa's favorite color?" Victor asked as politely as he could.

Mary and her parents finally realized that Victor was never going to back down from getting their help in making a good impression on Elsa's parents. "Fine, I'll cater to your perfectionism, your majesty. But, I'm not happy about what you're doing just to impress her folks," Mary told Victor. "What's Elsa's favorite color?" she asked Victor. "Um, black," Victor responded. "Elsa's a goth?" Mary asked Victor. "Yeah, why?" Victor asked. "Nothing," Mary said. "I just never thought that a goth would even be your kind of girl," Mary told Victor, trying to be as unoffensive as she could be.

"Do you need me to do anything for Elsa's visit, Victor?" Susan Frankenstein asked her son. "You think you could vacuum the house up a bit, mom?" Victor asked, but had a bit of halitosis while he said it. Susan could smell Victor's breath. "I can vacuum the place up, and you can go to the bathroom to brush your teeth," his mother told him. Victor eventually took in a sniff of his breath just to be sure, and realized his mother was right. His mouth did need a bit of freshening up. He headed for the residence's restroom and got right around to brushing his teeth. Only problem was that Elsa was going to arrive with her father anytime soon.

Later, in Lawrence Van Helsing's car, Elsa was on her way to the Frankenstein residence with her own dog, Persephone. "Do you really have to have that kid as a partner for your science fair project?" Larry asked his daughter, Elsa, as they were getting closer to the Frankenstein residence. "I don't like your Uncle Bob's part of town," he said further on the subject of his skepticism towards the Frankensteins's family life. "Dad, stop it! You gave me your word that you'd trust my judgement," Elsa reminded Lawrence of his own promise to her. "And, I, myself, promised Victor I'd come over to his place with Persephone and we would work on our project together. He already had Edgar break his own word about keeping the reanimated corpses a secret when the hunchback kid spilled the beans and bragged to Bob and Toshiaki. Other than his family, I'm the only one at school Victor fully trusts and the last person who Victor needs to have a promise made to him broken by."

"I know, Elsa. I believe everything you say to be true, my dear daughter," Lawrence Van Helsing told his little girl. "I'm sure Victor, his family, and even his living dead dog, Sparky, are all **lovely** people. I'm just a bit upset that you gave Victor your word about being his science fair partner **before** asking for my permission, dear," Lawrence told her his main concern at the end. "I got mom and Uncle Bob's permission," Elsa told her father. "I know what you wanna tell me about this; how bad do I think they could possibly be?" Larry told Elsa, almost as if reading his own daughter's mind about it.

When they finally made it to the Frankenstein residence, however, Victor's desperate attempts at getting his family to help him with impressing Elsa's father left the first impression of even their house in horridly unorganized disarray. Edward and Mary Frankenstein were still stuck on painting the house for the impression on Lawrence Van Helsing, and Mary had paint splattered all over her front. Thereby, throwing any attempt for Victor's older sister to help him make a good impression on Larry out the window.

But, in a selfless attempt to be of any help at all to Victor, Mary Frankenstein decided to try and be social to Larry and Elsa Van Helsing, anyway. "Hi!" she said, openly smiling even with her front covered from head to toe in black paint. It was embarrassing and made her look like a racist to anyone who couldn't see that she was a victim of circumstance, but she still made the attempt to be friendly to the Van Helsings.

Edward Frankenstein fared no better than his daughter at making impression on Elsa's father. When he tried to greet them, Edward fell off the ladder he was using to paint the house black, Elsa's favorite color. "Hi!" he said with a smile, just before he fell off his own ladder. Susan Frankenstein had also tried too hard to help her son impress Lawrence Van Helsing, but also with questionably disturbing results. "Oh, hi!" Susan Frankenstein greeted in an attempt at trying in vain to help make a good impression.

Victor finally ran outside to greet Elsa and her father, but hadn't rinsed the toothpaste out of his mouth, yet. He looked like he was infected by a rabid animal. Sparky's appearance, however, left the worst impression of all on its own. The dead dog had stitches all over his body, even his muzzle. He also had two protruding from both the left and the right sides of his neck. "Hello, Mr. Van Helsing," Victor greeted them after he made to Lawrence's car. Even his toothbrush was still in his mouth, indicating to Mr. Van Helsing's perspective that his daughter's ideal science fair partner couldn't even brush his own teeth right and would probably make Elsa do all the work. Larry Van Helsing also despised people who make their partners do all the work. "Welcome to the Frankenstein House," Victor tried further.

But, Mr. Van Helsing only drove his car, his daughter, and her dog away from the Frankenstein residence. Elsa looked back towards the Frankenstein house as Victor tried to go after the car. She was about to ask her father to at least stick around the place longer; at least long enough to get to know the Frankensteins a bit further than the surface. "It's a no," Lawrence Van Helsing told his daughter; as though already knowing what she was getting ready to suggest, but clearly having the exact opposite in mind. Victor grew sad as they drove away in their car. "Well, she might at least know you exist," Mary said, trying to ease her brother's pain of having his crush's father reject him right from the start; even when she was still covered in the black paint that was splattered on her front when the paint can fell.

The next day at school, Edgar 'E.' Gore had a lab coat on that had even the hunch on his back covered with a yellow rose in its pocket, and he also wore chemistry goggles shielding his eyes; even when the science fair wasn't actually for another 2 more weeks. "What's with the science outfit, E?" Bob asked, confused by Edgar's new look. "You trying to actuarry rook smart?" Toshiaki asked in his signature Japanese accent. Bob and Toshiaki were already partners due to the circumstances of Toshiaki still living at Bob's house during his term as a foreign exchange student. "What's the rose for?" Bob asked. "You aruso trying to get a date-o?" Toshiaki asked, taunting 'E.' about it.

He and Bob high-fived one another over the taunt; obviously to pay Edgar back for when he showed off the invisible goldfish, causing Bob to break his arm when they tried to outdo it not knowing the fish was really Victor's handiwork. "This lab coat combined with these goggles are to attract the fair maiden, Elsa Van Helsing, to be my science fair partner. The rose is simply for when she says 'yes'," Edgar declared.

They both laughed at his idea. "Yeah, right, 'E.'!" Bob laughed. "Rike herru, you might actuarry succeed-o at getting Elsa to be your science fair partner!" Toshiaki joined Bob's laughter at Edgar. "Why would you suddenly want Elsa as a science fair partner instead of Victor?" Nassor asked, revealing his presence just in time for Bob and Toshiaki to stop laughing at 'E.' to inquire the same thought.

Cynthia, known by her classmates as 'Weird Girl', was holding onto a small branch that fell off a tree after aging and dying, when she broke the branch straight in two out of deep, pure jealousy because of Edgar's decision to make Elsa Van Helsing his science fair partner. This went very noticed by all of the guys who were present. Bob and Toshiaki were scared by 'Weird Girl's' sudden strength which proved to be enough to break a branch in two straight in the middle. Nassor was only slightly shocked by her sudden strength of 10 men; yet it was a bit impressive for a girl to have such strength.

Edgar just proceeded to explain his reasons for deciding to ask Elsa Van Helsing to be his partner at the science fair. "Elsa is the duchess of the science fair, so having her as a partner would increase chances of winning the trophy as much as a partnership with Victor would," Edgar told them all, reminding them of Elsa's title in the science fair. Nassor pondered on this, but Bob and Toshiaki just left. "This information is true," Nassor responded after thinking about it.

Cynthia, or rather 'Weird Girl', just grew more jealous of Elsa's title as duchess of the science fair being enough to steal Edgar from her. "Elsa Van Helsing is also practically Victor in a girl's body, if you think about it clearly enough," Edgar stated about Elsa further. Nassor remembered that to be slightly true about Elsa; considering Sparky and her own dog, Persephone's, relationship. But, knowing what their dogs' relationship was like also made it possible that Victor was also going for a partnership with Elsa for the science fair. '_I might just try to ask the science fair's darling duchess to be my project partner, myself_,' Nassor thought.

But, 'Weird Girl' Cynthia had other plans for Nassor, as she grabbed his arm. "Come on, Flat Head," Cynthia told Nassor. "We're science fair partners." It might've looked like 'Weird Girl' really wanted Nassor to be her partner, but she was just trying to use him to make Edgar jealous like 'E.' did to her. Nassor's struggling said to everyone they passed along the way that their new partnership in the science fair wasn't exactly felt on both sides. Nassor tried to pry his arm out of 'Weird Girl's' grasp, but it was no use. Cynthia had a freakishly strong grip for someone who wasn't so fond of even watching sports. Bob and Toshiaki were watching the two of them from the hallway. "Don't you two make a rovery coupur!" Toshiaki commented, teasing Nassor for getting drafted into being Cynthia, AKA 'Weird Girl's', partner. "This doesn't feel very lovely, and we're not a couple," Nassor said in retaliation. "Should we help him?" Bob asked his own science fair partner. "Hai!" Toshiaki already knew his response to the question. "But, do we rearry want to?"

Back with Edgar, he was waiting for Elsa so that he could show off his new scientific look and his rose. 'E.' took the rose out of his lab coat pocket, and he sniffed it making sure it smelled fresh. He confirmed what he wanted to make sure of. But, just as Elsa came out to the front of the school, so did Victor. "Elsa, wait up, please," Victor requested Elsa; a request she fully obliged. "Oh hi, Victor," Elsa greeted him. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something, myself. I wanted to say how sorry I am that I couldn't pick up your phone calls," she apologized to Victor.

Victor knew what phone calls Elsa was talking about, but was embarrassed by the fact of it; so, he decided to play dumb."What phone calls?" Victor asked Elsa. "Really? Because my dad said you were making calls to our house until midnight," Elsa clarified for him. "Those calls could've from anyone in my family, and even from anywhere in town," Victor defended his persistence. "Yeah, I guess," Elsa said.

Then, Mr. Van Helsing arrived to pick his daughter up from school, and Elsa started to point towards her dad's car with her own thumb. "What's wrong with you, Elsa?" Victor asked his crush. Mary came to the elementary school at that moment, too. Only difference was that she arrived at the school to walk Victor home. Victor finally noticed where and who Elsa was pointing to. "Is that your dad?" he asked. "Yeah, he doesn't want me to spend time near you," Elsa said. From his car, Mr. Lawrence Van Helsing started staring at Victor like he trying to set the boy on fire. "Anyway, I wish you luck in the science fair. I know you can win the whole thing," Elsa told her friend who she could no more hang out with because of her own father's opinion of Victor. Elsa got into the car.

Victor followed her to her dad's car. "Hello, Mr. Van Helsing, how are you?" Victor asked Elsa's dad, trying to play it cool in front of the man. This tactic, however, didn't work either; as Victor accidently snapped Mr. Van Helsing's right rear-view mirror clean off the car door in the process. "Wow, rear-view mirrors, they just don't stay put, do they?" He tried to put it back, then force it back onto the car door. The driver seat's airbag activated. "At least, you know your airbags work, huh, Mr. Van Helsing?" Victor said, smiling nervously and trying his hardest to get Larry Van Helsing to not hate his guts. "Frankenstein, stay away from my car, stay out of my life, and stay far away from my daughter," Lawrence Van Helsing told Victor. "Do I get a say in this, dad?" Elsa asked her father. "No, Elsa!" Larry told his daughter flatly.

Mary finally made her presence known by her brother. "Wow, forget catching a break with Elsa. You can't even catch a minute with her, right now," Mary told Victor, having witnessed the whole scene go down. "But, cheer up, bro. Elsa's right, you know. You can win the science fair even without her or anyone else as your partner. You rock this town when it comes down to using your brain," Mary said, quoting the song 'Rock This Town'. "It's not just about the science fair," Victor told his sister in response. "I was finally gonna ask Elsa out on a date." Mary already knew that much about Victor's reasons for proposing to Elsa that they be partners at the upcoming science fair. "Which is why I don't get Mr. Van Helsing's opinion of you, Victor. You would think he would interested to know that you risked your own life to save hers during the 'Dutch Day' Incident. He should at least be grateful to you for it," Mary stated, trying to make her younger brother feel better.

Victor already knew that he had risked his life to save Elsa during the 'Dutch Day' Incident. "But, I was also the cause of the Incident with 'Dutch Day' because I just had to raise Sparky from the dead," Victor said, defending Mr. Van Helsing's right to not even tolerate him. "You just wanted him back in your life, and you weren't the cause of any of it," Mary tried to come to Victor's defense in his own argument with himself. "It was the other kids in your class who caused the 'Dutch Day' Incident, trying to copy your ideas, and Edgar led the charge in that." Mary was not about to let her brother blame himself for something that couldn't be changed as it had already happened. "But, I was the one who showed him how to raise an animal from the dead," Victor said. "Because Edgar blackmailed you into showing him," Mary tried further to defend Victor. "After being the first to learn that I'd successfully reanimated Sparky," Victor only beat himself up further. "You're still a good kid, Victor," Mary defended her brother beating himself up. "And, I believe you could at least try to prove that much to Elsa's dad."

Edgar had been watching them talk from within the school gate. "So, Victor wants Elsa to be his partner for the science fair, too, eh?" 'E.' Gore asked himself, taunting Victor despite being his friend now. "Well, my friend, you may have the fair maiden's eye now, but she will be my partner at the science fair." Edgar then cackled up a storm, but Victor and Mary had long since left the school; therefor, Edgar had been cackling at no one. He eventually realized this when he stopped cackling long enough to notice that he was the only one left on school grounds. "Hey, wait up!" Edgar yelled into the distance. "You weren't listening! I was explaining everything! You guys!" It was far too late, though.

Later, Mary took Victor in Edward's car to the Van Helsing house. Victor was getting ready to grovel to Mr. Van Helsing and Mary was helping him. "Just be yourself, Victor," Mary advised her brother with the same 3 words as before. It was good advice, but Victor wondered if it could possibly help a boy like him impress his love interest's father. He walked up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell. Mr. Van Helsing answered the door, and Lawrence wasn't happy to see Victor. "Um, hello, Mr. Van Helsing," Victor said to Larry Van Helsing. "I just wanted to give somethings from my family to you. A travel book from my dad, a cake from my mom, and a painting of you from my sister, Mary." The travel book was more like a travel atlas, the painting was a velvet Larry Van Helsing, and considering Susan Frankenstein baked the cake, it would've been fantastic; if Mr. Van Helsing had taken the time to even appreciate the gesture. But, Lawrence rejected the gifts from the Frankenstein family to him right out of the gate.

The next day, Victor tried to win Mr. Van Helsing over by bringing him flowers and chocolates. A transparent, unoriginal, and tired old attempt at a peace offering, but he had decided to try it that way, at least. The flowers and chocolates try had failed, too, though. The day after that, Victor had let Mary try to kiss up to Elsa's father on his behalf with a song played on her old guitar from the time she was in a band. Her song was about Victor and that he had just wanted Elsa to be his partner for the upcoming science fair. When Mary finished the song, Victor approached the door one more time. "So, what do you say, Mr. Van Helsing?" Victor asked Lawrence, trying to smile. Larry responded by cutting Mary's guitar strings with a pair of scissors. "AHHHH!" Mary screamed. "My poor guitar."

"I don't care whether you're a good kid or a bad one," Mr. Van Helsing said to Victor, stubbornly standing by his first impressions of the Frankensteins. "You are NOT good enough for my daughter. END. OF. STORY." Victor tried to protest this, but Mary finally stopped trying to help Victor impress the man who had viciously cut her guitar strings. "Victor, you are not to go anywhere that man again," Mary told her brother, finally snapping enough to put herself before her family. Mary's old guitar was very precious to her. Being in that band was the only thing that made her childhood even a little bit bearable. Her band, the Dark Sages, were the only friends Mary ever had growing up. Her old guitar was the only thing she had left from those days, and now its strings had been cut. Mary mourned her guitar's strings so much.

Inside the Van Helsing house, Lawrence heard the doorbell right after he had thought brother and sister had already left. Mr. Van Helsing opened the door, only to find out it was Edgar 'E.' Gore who rang it. Mr. Van Helsing screamed at the sight of the deformed, hunchbacked child in the lab coat and chemistry goggles. Then, Larry recovered from his fright just long enough to get angered by the sight of having yet another boy come to his house to ask his only daughter into a partnership at the science fair. "Hello, Mr. Van Helsing," 'E.' greeted Lawrence as soon as he made it back to the front door. "I would like to ask for your daughter to be my_ AHHHHHHHHHH!" Edgar screamed before he could finish his sentence, as Mr. Van Helsing had closed the door on 'E.'s' foot. "Just a little flesh wound, sir. No need to worry about me." Edgar then pulled his foot out from the other side of the door, screaming in pain. 'E.' then tried to soothe his own pain by sitting down, lifting his foot slowly, then dropping it back down at the same pace. He repeated this action until it felt a lot better.

Meanwhile inside the house, Larry Van Helsing was quite upset at the amount of boys who had been swarming his precious daughter as of late. "Hey, Elsa," Mr. Van Helsing yelled from the living room to Elsa's bedroom. "What is it with you and boys these days?" he asked her but received no response, not even a bark from her dog, Persephone. "Elsa? Elsa? Persephone?" Back at the Frankenstein residence, Mary and Victor had arrived back home. Mary went inside the minute they had gotten there, but Victor wasn't quite ready to go back into the house. "Hey, Victor," Mary said. Whatever it was, Victor didn't need it right now, not from a sister who no longer had his back. "You have a visitor; actually you and Sparky both have visitors," Mary Frankenstein informed her brother just after Sparky had run out of the house to greet Victor with his signature licks to the face in affection. This cheered Victor up a little from the depression he was in, earlier. "Thanks, boy. I feel better," Victor told Sparky.

Then to Victor's happiest surprise ever, Sparky was revealed to have been followed by Elsa Van Helsing and her own dog, Persephone. This cheered up Victor a lot, fully curing him of the depression from earlier, while shocking him at the same time. "Elsa?" Victor asked, astounded that the love of his life had come to his house. "What are you doing at my place? I thought your dad told you couldn't come over here," Victor said, happy to see Elsa and Persephone, yet confused by their presence. "Exactly," Elsa confirmed. "That's why I asked my mom." Victor could see this meeting having been approved by Gwendolyn 'Gwen' Van Helsing. "Your mom said you could come over to be my partner at the science fair?" Victor asked his crush. "She acknowledged the good points in my friends and my judgement," Elsa told Victor. "Good old mom, when dad just can't find it within himself to approve," Victor said. "I just have another question for you, Elsa."

"Fire away," Elsa told Victor. "Why are you choosing me to be your partner for the science fair?" Victor asked Elsa. "I mean, haven't a lot of other boys in the class been throwing themselves at you just to make you their science fair partner?" Elsa remembered all of those boys begging and pleading for her to be their science fair partner. "If it's any consolation, I'd rather have someone like you be my partner for the science fair, Victor," Elsa reassured him. "Is it for my intelligence?" Victor asked. "No," Elsa said in honesty. "Is it because you'll probably get a good grade if I'm your partner?" Victor asked her again. "No," Elsa responded once more. "Then, it must be because you wanna make me do all the work," Victor reasoned; but this reason turned out to be false, too. "No, Victor. I plan to help with the work on our project, too," Elsa responded in honesty, once again.

"Well, then why do you want me to be your partner for the science fair?" Victor asked curiously. "Because I'm in love with you, Victor, and I want our project to go well enough to be remembered as our first date," Elsa told Victor boldly, although she blushed a light shade of pink at her confession. Victor blushed an incredibly dark shade of red at Elsa's confession, and he stood there staring at her for a few seconds before finally responding. "You're serious?" Victor asked Elsa. "Yeah," Elsa responded, nodding her head. "That's great, Elsa. I mean, wow, that's exactly the reason I wanted to ask you to be my partner for the science fair," Victor responded happily, blushing even redder than before.

They had gotten to confess their love to one another and Sparky and Persephone couldn't be happier for their owners. Edward and Susan Frankenstein had been watching from the house and were glad their son, Victor, finally confessed his feelings to his beloved Elsa. "It's about time, isn't it, dear?" Edward asked Susan. The wife just smiled at her husband in response. Mary, considering she was frowning but just brushed her anger at Elsa's father to the side, was more or less happy for Victor and Elsa; at least, enough to put her own feelings aside one final time and see no real reason for Victor and Elsa to suffer. "Well, shouldn't we get ready on our science project soon?" Elsa asked. For the first time in his life, though, science fell short of being Victor's main concern. "We'll get to the project," he told his ideal girl. "But, first, how about we seal our love confessions with a kiss?" Victor asked. "I suppose one kiss wouldn't hurt," Elsa said in response.

But, just as the two of them were getting ready to kiss, a baseball flew by Mary Frankenstein and hit Victor, right square in the eye. Victor received a black eye thanks to the ball. "Ow!" Victor said, holding his eye. "Who's the dead man who threw that ball?" Mary Frankenstein asked out. Toshiaki and Bob were the only ones in sight, walking past the Frankenstein residence at the wrong time. "Toshiaki! I should've known you did this to my brother," Mary shouted at him. "What are you taruking about?" Toshiaki asked. "Don't play innocent, Toshiaki. Victor has a black eye from having a baseball thrown at him, and you're the only present who could've thrown it," Mary deduced. "You think I threw the barru at Victor?" Toshiaki asked Mary. "Oh, sure. A random baseball just hit me square in the eye, and you just happened to be walking near my house when it happened," Victor said. "And, you're the best pitcher on the New Holland little league team, and you hate my brother for when he re-killed your turtle, Shelly," Mary added. "So, if the shoe fits, wear it, why don't you?" Mary finalized the deduction.

Toshiaki was deeply offended by the accusation, and he had just recently forgotten the 'Dutch Day' Incident successfully. The very last thing he needed was to be accused of something just because of his own baseball skills and the grudge Mary firmly believed he had against Victor. "Say that-o again-o!" he said in anger. Mary just happened to oblige to Toshiaki's angry request. "If_ the_ shoe_ fits," Mary enunciated at Toshiaki. "You wanna go up against me, lawyer girru?" Toshiaki asked Mary. "It's go time, brat," Mary told Toshiaki in response. "Elsa take Victor inside the house and help my parents tend to his eye," Mary told Elsa, ready to fight. "OK, Mary Frankenstein," Elsa responded to Mary's request in regard to Victor. "Come on, Victor. Let's go into your house and get something for that eye," Elsa told Victor. "OK, Elsa," Victor obediently responded to Elsa helping him.

Edgar noticed this from where he was spying on them all. He suddenly felt the need to make his own presence known. "Get back here, you two," 'E.' demanded of Victor and Elsa. The two scientists in love stopped short of their journey inside when 'E.' revealed himself to them; as did the beginning of the fight between Toshiaki and Mary. "Edgar?" Mary voiced out, questioning his sudden presence. "Wait a minute, I thought you were friends with Victor nowadays, 'E.'," Mary voiced her confusion at the revelation that it might've been Edgar who threw the baseball, and not Toshiaki. "I am Victor's friend these days," Edgar confirmed to Mary Frankenstein. "I thought you were lousy at sports," Mary voiced her confusion further; a confusion that slowly turning into violent rage towards Edgar and the kind of regret which came from a false accusation towards Toshiaki. "I started to take up a hobby in baseball, recently," Edgar confirmed once again. "To make more friends."

"Was it you who threw that unexpected baseball at Victor?" Mary interrogated Edgar. "And, what if it was?" 'E.' asked back. Mary gasped at Edgar's sort of confession. "You awful, little idea thief," Mary told Edgar, enraged at him enough to pull him inside by holding his arm. Victor, Sparky, Elsa, Persephone, even Bob and Toshiaki followed the two into the house. As soon as Victor's eye was tended to and Edgar had been tied up so he couldn't do anything more to Victor, Mary and her parents began interrogating Edgar further. "My wife and I never expected such an action from you of all people," Edward told Edgar; he and Susan still unaware that Edgar had only come to their house that one time to blackmail Victor about Sparky.

Even Mary knew more about Edgar's reason of that day than her parents did, and she hadn't even been in town during the time. "The only reason I don't know is why. Why did you throw that baseball at my brother's eye?" Mary questioned 'E.'. "Victor's proposal to the duchess of the science fair to be project partners was unacceptable because I was going to ask for a partnership with the fair Elsa Van Helsing at the science fair," 'E.' informed everyone. Victor finally got up and was still strong enough to move and talk, at least. "So, you struck me in the eye for it?" Victor questioned Edgar's motives. "What about me?" Toshiaki asked the Frankensteins. "I'm a victim here, too. Mary almost-o tried-o to beat me up over something I didn't do."

"Enough of this nonsense," Edgar demanded. "I demand satisfaction! I demand a duel!" 'E.' demanded further. "A duel with my own friend, Victor. The prize: being Elsa's partner for the science fair," 'E.' told them all his conditions. "Are you kidding me?" Mary asked him, sarcasm practically dripping from her tone of voice. "You can't be serious-u," Toshiaki said, adding to Mary Frankenstein's sarcasm. "I'm dead serious," said Edgar, clearly not caring that it obviously wasn't what Elsa, herself, wanted. "You gotta be kidding me, Edgar!" Victor shouted, throwing his ice pack on the floor. "You slugged me in the eye just because you wanted to be project partners with Elsa? And, what about the terms of this duel of yours? Did you even think to Elsa what she wants?"

"In time, Elsa shall learn to appreciate my ideas for a science fair project," Edgar said. "No, I won't," Elsa told him. "Enough, the duel will take place in 5 minutes outside of the house," 'E.' told them all, ignoring Elsa's words. "So, untie me," Edgar told the Frankensteins. "I won't fight anyone over Elsa," Victor said to Edgar. "Why is that?" 'E.' suddenly asked, trying to provoke Victor into a fight. "A. Because you're afraid to lose the duel, B. Because of your black eye, C. Because you can't fight in a duel at all, or D. All of the above?" Edgar instigated further. "How about A. because you're being a jerk about it, B. because you and I are supposed to be friends, C. because you're not even bothering to think about Elsa's feelings in this duel of yours, and D. all of those ones above," Victor told Edgar.

Edgar was not going to let up about this. "Which ever reason, you forfeit, so Elsa is my science fair partner," he told them all. "If only to get you to stop your pursuit of my ideal project partner, I'll duel you," Victor said finally caving into the pressure from 'E.'. "Just so we're clear on this, if I win, you have to leave Elsa alone." Edgar was reluctant, but grudgingly said OK to Victor's terms, anyway. "You promise us that?" Victor asked, not wanting to take any chances this time around. "I promise," 'E.' told Victor, annoyed by the terms, now.

But like when Victor let him in on the secret to having reanimated Sparky the first time around, Edgar had his fingers crossed. Luckily, Elsa and Mary were there to alert Victor of Edgar crossing his fingers when agreeing to the terms, this time. "Fingers crossed! Fingers crossed!" Mary ratted Edgar out as though she were an alarm. "Victor, Edgar had his fingers when he agreed to your end of the bargain," Elsa also informed him. Victor was angered by this. "You can't cross your fingers when it comes to things like this," Victor told 'E.'. "I don't have my fingers crossed," 'E.' said as he uncrossed them only for show. "See?" he said, holding them up uncrossed as false proof. Unfortunately for 'E.', Toshiaki just happened to have his favorite video camera on him. He also happened to record 'E.' with his fingers crossed. "Oh, but, he did have them crossed, Victor," Toshiaki told them, presenting his own evidence on his camera.

Toshiaki might not have liked Victor all that much now, but he refused to miss an opportunity to be of any possible help to Victor. Even knowing that Victor had even more of a chance of winning the science fair than ever before if he were to win a partnership in the event with Elsa, Toshiaki still helped Victor with it. But, Toshiaki helping Victor was only for Toshiaki's sake, because if Victor won the science fair with Elsa, he still would've been beaten by the best in the science fair. 'Of couruse, I stirru wirru have rost, but I wirru have rost with honor,' Toshiaki thought to himself in his own head.

(A/N: sort of like a frenemy's motivation for providing help to someone, if you will.)

Victor and Elsa already knew what Toshiaki's motivations for helping them in getting proof that Edgar was gonna try to steal Elsa from Victor, but the geniuses in love went along with Toshiaki's proof, anyway. Then, they all went outside and Victor and 'E.' Gore started their duel with brooms for swords. Edgar had knocked Elsa to the side when she tried to interfere with his end of the swordfight. "You better stop this right now, Edgar," Elsa demanded. "That is, if you know what's good for you, lumpy back," Mary Frankenstein remarked, adding to Elsa's demand. "I'll stop," Edgar began to say while turning around to face Elsa. "in exchange for a kiss."

Elsa was disgusted by the very thought of kissing Edgar when she clearly didn't even like him. "Pucker up, Duchess of the Science Fair," Edgar said. Then, he put his lips together, but his deformed teeth were still showing even then. Elsa grew fearful of Edgar being her first kiss. Luckily for her, Victor used his own broom sword to interfere with Edgar's attempt to kiss his beloved Elsa against the pretty goth girl's will. "I will let you touch the girl I love against her will, no matter what measures I have to make sure of that," Victor practically announced his feelings for Elsa right then and there.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Van Helsing was nearing the Frankenstein residence, worried out of his mind about his daughter, Elsa. "She and her dog better not be around here," he said. "I hate this neighborhood. I can't believe you let her come here, dear," Larry told his wife, Gwendolyn, who was in his car with him. "It's not my fault you stubbornly refuse to see the Frankenstein family's good points," Gwen told her husband. "That of which that family has as much as they have their negative traits. You take the good with the bad, remember, dear?" Gwen asked, scolding Larry's opinion of Victor and his family further. Larry just sighed at this. He didn't need his wife to remind him of their life before getting married.

Meanwhile back with the others at the Frankenstein residence, Elsa was getting bored with the way the duel for her was going, and she was still on the ground. She couldn't take much more of this. She tried to intervene with Edgar's end of the duel again, but this time 'E.' had knocked her into the street, and her parents car was right around the corner. Victor, Edgar and everyone else noticed this. 'E.' desperately fled, while Toshiaki and Bob just remained as by standers, and the rest of the Frankensteins tried to get the Van Helsings' attention in time to alert them that they were about to run over their own daughter. Victor was the only one who acted in trying to save Elsa, while Sparky and Persephone just stayed put next to Bob and Toshiaki, who was recording the whole thing with his video camera.

Elsa and her parents finally took notice of the situation they had both walked or driven themselves into. It was almost too late; that was when Victor grabbed Elsa's back and pulled her to safety just in time. Gwendolyn and Lawrence got out of the car. "Oh, thank you so much for saving our dear daughter, Elsa, Victor," Gwen thanked him right away. "Yeah, thanks, kid," Larry thanked Victor a bit more hesitantly. "Speak for yourself, Mr. Van Helsing," Mary told him as soon as she made it to Elsa's parents. "You owe me an entire set of new guitar strings, Sir," she responded angrily. "I am truly, sincerely, very sorry about those guitar strings, my child," Lawrence Van Helsing told Mary. "I'll pay for a new set of them."

"That's all I wanted to hear from you, Mr. Van Helsing," Mary said. A week and a half later, Victor and Elsa won the science fair for their joint project, the fully resurrected, fully alive, and fully loved Sparky, the Franken-dog. Toshiaki and Bob's science fair project, the video Toshiaki shot at the Frankenstein house of Victor saving Elsa for the second time in a row since the 'Dutch Day' Incident, didn't do too much worse and won the duo the second place prize: a B- for both of them in science class. Now everything was truly starting to get back to the way it was before the 'Dutch Day' Incident.

Fin


End file.
